The Renault Duster has been a key model in the company’s surge to a consolidated top-10 position amongst motor manufacturers in South Africa. Here we assess how the entry-level petrol model compares against the more opulent diesel offerings.
Renault’s Duster made its appearance on the South African market in September 2013 and from the outset, its sales were a pleasant surprise for the French-owned manufacturer. There was a mild facelift to the range in August 2015, when it was also announced that Duster production had moved from Chennai in India to Pitesti in Romania, where the now discontinued Sandero was also built.
In September 2018 a substantially revised Duster range went on sale here and since then, there has been periodic updates and new variants added to the line-up. To date over 20 000 Dusters have been sold here and sales remain strong now in 2022. From the outset the Duster was offered in both petrol and diesel variants of the range, however, the range is now only available with the frugal 1.5-litre turbodiesel engine. Here are the top 5 features of the Renault Duster that stand out from its competitors.
At the time of writing, there were around 350 pre-owned Duster models listed for sale on AutoTrader, with around 60 petrol-powered models and nearly 300 diesel units, meaning that a comparison between the petrol and diesel models is important for those shopping for a pre-owned Duster. Which should you choose? If you have already, try out our Instant Offer tool to sell your current car quickly and easily.
The 1.6 16V petrol engine
The petrol engine’s power output used in the Duster has risen from an initial 75 kW to 84 kW over its lifecycle. It is an efficient, naturally-aspirated (non-turbo) 16-valve unit, displacing 1 598 cc, and produces 84 kW at 5 500 rpm and 156 Nm of torque. These are pretty average power figures for a non-turbo petrol engine of this size, as is the torque peak of 4 000 rpm.
The petrol engine is only available with a five-speed manual gearbox, driving the front wheels. Nevertheless, performance is quite good, the Duster 1.6 taking 11.0 seconds to reach 100 km/h from standstill and rated with a 167 km/h top speed.
Interestingly, the baseline Duster with its petrol engine is the fastest-accelerating Duster in the range, and its top speed almost matches the top diesel models. Fuel consumption is listed at 7.0 litres/100 km, which is probably a bit optimistic, and we reckon in real-life owners can expect closer to 8.5 to 9.0 litres/100 km, depending on the mix of highway cruising and urban driving.
Two Power and Torque levels for the diesel engine
The diesel engines offered for the Duster come in two basic power and torque levels, although both engines have the same 1 461 cc configuration and both are of the direct common rail injection type.
The base model 1.5 dCi manual Duster models use a 66 kW version, with 210 Nm of torque produced at 1 750 rpm. This is mated to a five-speed manual gearbox. Performance is moderate, with a 0-100 km/h time of 14.8 seconds and a top speed of 155 km/h. Fuel consumption is listed at a claimed 5.1 litres/100 km, and owners should achieve under 6.0 L/100 km in daily use.
The high-output 1.5 dCi is available with the brand’s EDC (dual-clutch) automatic transmission or a six-speed manual with all-wheel drive, and in this instance, it produces 80 kW and 250 Nm of torque. The sprint times for the 80 kW models vary between 11.8 and 12.5 seconds for the 0-100 km/h run. Consumption is listed between 4.8 litres and 5.2 litres/100 km, and again owners should easily achieve figures of under 6.0 litres/100 km.
So which is better: Petrol or diesel?
If you are on a tight budget, then the petrol model is the one to go for, in terms of initial pricing. Looking at the pre-owned market, as is to be expected, the Duster models with the lowest list price are the petrol models and are likely to be slightly more affordable to service in the long term. If you are after efficiency and a bit more kit, the diesel models will be far better pre-owned propositions.
Keyword: Which Pre-Facelift Renault Duster is better: petrol or diesel?